'Higher Ground/Underground' (2005)
Digital video displayed on monitor (upturned on floor) 10'45

As part of the 'Making our Mark' series, the 'Full Circle' and 'Higher Ground/Underground' digital video narratives consider the notion of attachments linked to certain locations or walks, built up over time and embedded in our personal histories. These two contrasting constructed environments; a medieval castle moat and a city park and its surrounding streetscape, shaped by human presence could be seen as a reaction against the romantic idyll depicted by Wordsworth and Coleridge. However, some kind of emotional escapism does seem possible amid the artificiality of these unnatural spaces.

Influenced by 1970's video performance art, the actual physical process of 'acting out' the walk itself is intrinsic to the work, and the resulting video pieces are not only an experimental filmic experience, but also serve as a record of the activity that took place.

'Higher Ground/Underground' traces a familiar urban walk through Greenwich Park, London that follows the changing 'ground-scape' from the manicured parkland to the bustling patchwork-style pavement, until the walker reaches the station and descends underground; running for their connecting train. The naturalistic style of filming from the waist whilst walking that focuses on the passing 'ground-scape', rather than the surrounding picturesque scenery, directs our attention continuously on the ground and seeks to objectify the view. Indeed, the video piece itself is installed on a monitor, positioned on the floor, but tilted forward to simulate the filming experience, with the intensely framed close-up shots of the walker's feet generating a compulsive and disorientating state that emphasizes the graphic style of the changing ground textures. During the walk, the sound levels alter between the relative peacefulness of the park, compared to the chaotic street environment outside, which the walker passes through like a flâneur; absorbing snippets of passing conversations, fragments of pop music from cars along with other traffic noises familiar to our everyday experiences.

Selected Exhibition History: